Hebenstreit heading for hall of fame hullaballoo

Hawaii media icon Carl "Kini Popo" Hebenstreit will be inducted into the Hawaii Publishers Association Hall of Fame this month.

He is the president of Trade Publishing Ltd., as well as the first voice aired on Hawaii television, when KGMB-TV signed on in 1952, according to the Robert Schmitt book, "Firsts and Almost Firsts in Hawaii."

Hebenstreit was also honored at the Hawaii Advertising Federation's 2005 Pele Awards with a Silver Medal for contributions to the industry, a consistently high degree of original thinking and investment in the community.

The Sept. 13 induction should be about the farthest thing from a typical rubber-chicken-on-the-plate deal, given the nature of the honoree. That is not to say that a rubber chicken has never been involved in one of the notorious practical jokester's homages to his friends.

An example of the business leader's funnier side came when Trade Publishing celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2004.

He arrived at work one May morning to find that his desk had been festooned with a torpedo to mark the occasion. It was payback for torpedo tomfoolery he had previously perpetrated.

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It was the publishers' association board that decided to honor Hebenstreit, said Barry Redmayne, publisher of several of Trade's many titles.

Hebenstreit has mentored many media men and women over the years. "Oh boy," Redmayne said. He recalled that 10 to 15 years ago, the staff worked up a list of media professionals who had been nurtured at the company, "and it was staggering. There really were a lot."

"It would probably be over 100. One hundred that went on to other areas, and I might be low, saying 100."

One of those was Jim Cook, who went on to establish the magazine now known as "Hawaii Home + Remodeling."

The upcoming ceremony is planned as part of the annual HPA Print Media Day Expo, being co-presented with the Hawaii Advertising Federation. HAF is also organizing a lunch program titled, "How to Effectively use Advertising to Enhance Your Brand."

Registration and the free print expo begins at 11 a.m. at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom, with lunch and the program to start at noon. The lunch and program are $40 per person, or $400 for a table if reserved by Sept. 10. Reservations can be made through the HAF Web site or by calling 532-0555 or 234-1288.